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What the Papers Say, Nov. 19, 2012

Igor Tabakov

Kommersant

1. Alexei Dospekhov article headlined "Fans Have No Shame" gives details of an incident in which a Russian football player has got injured by a firecracker thrown by a fan during a match in Khimki and reaction to it; pp 1, 16 (1,600 words).

2. Sergei Strokan and Yelena Chernenko article headlined "'Pillar of Cloud' Goes on Warpath" says no truce between Israel and Hamas is expected, moreover, Israel is getting ready for a ground operation in Gaza Strip; pp 1, 6 (850 words).

3. Dmitry Butrin and Yevgeny Timoshinov article headlined "Hungry Ones Are Asked to Lose Weight First" says state-controlled companies are asking for more subsidies despite protests from the Russian Finance Ministry; pp 1, 8 (450 words).

4. Sergei Sobolev and Yevgeny Khvostik article headlined "We Were Ousted From Bali" says 50 percent more Russian tourists visited Spain and Cyprus last summer; pp 1, 12 (450 words).

5. Ivan Safronov et al. report headlined "Boris Gryzlov to Supervise Atom" says Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin has left the post of the chairman of the supervisory board of the Rosatom corporation. Chairman of United Russia's supreme council Boris Gryzlov is to be appointed to the post; p 2 (900 words).

6. Natalya Korchenkova et al. report headlined "United Russia Being Renewed in Old Way" says that only seven out of 23 regional branches of United Russia which recently held conferences have replaced their regional heads; p 3 (400 words).

7. Maria Plyusnina et al. article headlined "Switchover to Multiparty Work" looks at where new political parties are drawing their leaders from; p 3 (1,100 words).

8. Viktor Khamrayev piece "Governors Have Been Checked for Friendliness" sums up the results of an opinion poll that looked at regional governors' relations with business; p 3 (500 words).

9. Maria Yefimova article headlined "Israel Recalls Judgment Day" says the Israeli artillery has opened fire at Syrian territory in response to Syrian shells reaching Israeli territory; p 6 (350 words).

10. Sergei Strokan article headlined "USA Turns Its First Face to East" reports on U.S. President Barack Obama's Asian tour during which he will take part in the ASEAN summit in Cambodia; p 7 (350 words).

11. Tbilisi-based Georgy Dvali article headlined "President's Guilt Being Proven by Opponents" says former Deputy Interior Minister of Georgia Shota Khizanishvili has been arrested on charges of illegal wiretapping of President Saakashvili's opponents; p 7 (350 words).

Nezavisimaya Gazeta

1. Svetlana Gamova article headlined "Oxygen Cushion for Transdnestr Republic" comments on Russia's plans to set up its consulate in Moldova's breakaway Transdnestr republic and ways of supporting the local economy via defense industry enterprises; pp 1, 7 (900 words).

2. Anastasia Bashkatova article headlined "Public Utilities Tariffs Become Main Problem for Citizens" says a recent public opinion poll has shown that Russians are mostly worried about a hike in public utilities tariffs rather than about human rights violations; pp 1, 4 (1,100 words).

3. Nikolai Surkov article headlined "Conciliatory Gestures Are Accompanied by Thunder of Cannons" says the death toll in the latest Israeli-Palestinian conflict has exceeded 50 people as the two sides continue exchanging fire; pp 1, 8 (550 words).

4. Mikhail Sergeyev article headlined "Gas Disagreements With Europe" says judging by the recent talks between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian President Putin, Gazprom will have to meet its European consumers halfway in gas price talks; pp 1, 4 (450 words).

5. Viktor Myasnikov article headlined "Slavyanka Is Only Part of Pyramid" gives an update on the ongoing investigation into the Oboronservis corruption case and notes that dozens of billions of dollars must have been stolen from the budget; pp 1-2 (950 words).

6. Savely Vezhin article headlined "Foreign Agents Asked to Start Worrying" says that according to some experts, the law on Russian NGOs that are funded from abroad will start working only if the Russian authorities themselves start allocating financing for NGOs; pp 1, 9 (700 words).

7. Editorial headlined "To Study, Pray and Study to Pray" says the new bill on education takes into consideration only the interests of the Russian Orthodox Church and ignores the multifaith nature of Russian society; p 2 (450 words).

8. Alexei Gorbachev article "New Manezhnaya Protest Is Brewing Up" says nationalists are planning a mass rally in Moscow on Nov. 27 to protest against amendments to the law on citizenship that will make it easier for former USSR nationals to get Russian citizenship and against expected lenient sentence to Rasul Mirzayev, a martial arts champion from the North Caucasus who accidentally killed a Russian student in a nightclub brawl; p 3 (400 words).

9. Ivan Rodin article headlined "Medvedev's Government Gets No-Confidence Vote" sums up the results of the second congress of work collectives convened by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation; p 3 (800 words).

10. Igor Naumov article headlined "Russians Burn at Work and at Home Through Employers' Negligence" looks at Russia's appalling health and safety at work record; p 4 (1,000 words).

11. Yury Paniyev and Alexei Gorbachev article headlined "Magnitsky Bill Goes to Senate" says the so-called Magnitsky law is most likely to be passed in the U.S.A.; p 8 (450 words).

12. Vladimir Skosyrev article headlined "America to Fight With China for Asia" says 10 leaders, including U.S. President Obama, are to take part in the East Asian Summit in Cambodia, while Moscow sends its foreign minister there; p 8 (350 words).

13. Darya Tsilyurik article headlined "Citizens of All 50 States for Withdrawing From U.S.A." says U.S. conservatives who oppose Barack Obama's policy are speaking out for making their states independent from the U.S.A.; p 8 (300 words).

14. Yevgeny Grigoryev article headlined "Bundeswehr Starts Moving Towards Syrian Border" says NATO is getting ready to get involved in the Syrian conflict without a resolution of the UN Security Council, as Germany is deploying its Patriot missiles on the Turkish border; p 8 (250 words).

15. Pundit Alexei Mukhin article headlined "How to Scavenge Outside Foreign Embassies Under New Circumstances?" looks at background for and implications of amendments to the Russian law on NGOs that requires foreign-funded NGOs to be registered as foreign agents; p 9 (2,100 words).

Vedomosti

1. Anton Trifonov et al. report headlined "Danger of Repo" looks in depth at a deal reached between Renaissance Capital investment bank and Onexim company controlled by billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov. The latter is buying a large stake in the bank; p 1 (600 words).

2. Yelizaveta Nikitina article headlined "Maximum for Minimum" says Russians will feel the tough budget policy as early as in January 2013, when the price of the cheapest vodka will grow up to 170 rubles ($5); p 1 (450 words).

3. Yevgenia Pismennaya and Yelena Myazina article headlined "Lesha, Give Us Kopeck" analyses reasons for budget spending in Vladivostok as part of preparations for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit; pp 1, 12 (2,200 words).

4. Editorial headlined "From General to Particular" says the U.S. plans to pass the so-called Magnitskiy bill on the third anniversary of the Hermitage Capital lawyer's death; pp 1, 4 (550 words).

5. Natalya Kostenko article "From Interior Ministry to Party" says the ruling United Russia party is stepping up its PR and Internet communications work; p 2 (300 words).

Izvestia

1. German Petelin article headlined "FSB Is Checking Serdyukov's Interest in Castro's Limousine" says the FSB is looking for a collection of rare vehicles relocated from a museum closed in Ryazan by an order of former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov; pp 1, 3 (1,100 words).

2. Vladimir Gusev article headlined "Prokhorov's Party Sets Up Its Komsomol" says Mikhail Prokhorov's Civic Platform party plans to set up a youth branch; pp 1, 3 (550 words).

3. Oleg Vorobyov and Taras Podrez article headlined "Government Overestimates Sovcomflot" says Deutsche Bank appointed by the Russian government as an agent in the privatization of the Sovkomflot shipping company estimated a 25 percent stake in the company at 15-18 billion rubles, meanwhile the authorities planned to sell the stake for 25 billion rubles; pp 1, 3 (1,000 words).

4. Yury Matsarsky article "Israel Under 'Iron Dome'" says the country does not want to launch a ground operation in Gaza but is preparing for it; pp 1, 7 (800 words).

5. Darya Mazayeva and Anna Akhmadiyeva article "Apartment Block Lobbies to Be Freed of Free Newspapers" says the State Duma may soon consider a bill banning local budgets from funding free newspapers; p 2 (400 words).

6. Tatyana Sharapova article "Mitvol Is Eager to Get to European Parliament" says Oleg Mitvol's Green Alliance party has filed application to join the GreensEuropean Free Alliance faction in the European Parliament; p 2 (450 words).

7. Vladimir Barinov article "Federal Drug Control Service Devices Will Understand Romanies and Tajiks" says the Federal Drug Control Service will spend nearly 5 million rubles to purchase 15 "unique" devices for phone hacking into telephone conversations between suspected drug dealers that are often held in languages other than Russian; p 10 (650 words).

Rossiiskaya Gazeta

1. Vitaly Petrov article headlined "To See Ideal" sums up the Russian-German summit held in Moscow on Friday; pp 1-2 (1,100 words).

2. Yelena Kukol article headlined "To Be Calculated in Accordance With Cadastre" says housing taxes are to grow in Russia as they will be calculated in accordance with a new formula; pp 1, 5 (450 words).

3. Alexander Gasyuk article headlined "They Cannot Do Without Sanctions" says the U.S. Congress has replaced the Jackson-Vanik amendment by a blacklist of Russian officials reportedly involved in the death in custody of Hermitage Capital fund lawyer Sergei Magnitsky; p 10 (500 words).

4. Maxim Makarychev interview with Bruce Blair, president of the World Security Institute, headlined "Countdown to Zero", speaking on nonproliferation and Russian-U.S. relations; p 10 (300 words).

Moskovsky Komsomolets

1. Mikhail Rostovsky article headlined "How Putin Outwitted Himself" says President Putin was wrong to allege that members of Pussy Riot group are anti-Semites as they never expressed this kind of ideas; pp 1-2 (500 words).

2. Melor Sturua "From Benghazi to Tampa" says former CIA head David Petraeus's appearance for questioning by the U.S. Congress has shown that Republicans are trying to find fault with Barack Obama's administration; p 2 (400 words).

3. Ilya Baranikas article headlined "Better Late Than Without Magnitsky" reports on the U.S. terms for cancelling the Jackson-Vanik amendment; p 2 (500 words).

Novaya Gazeta

1. Alexei Tarasov article headlined "What You Could Hear During Trial in London, But Failed to" gives details of a pretrial agreement reached between Russian businessman Mikhail Chernoi and aluminum tycoon Oleg Deripaska; pp 2 — 3 (2,000 words).

2. Yulia Latynina article headlined "Dependent on State" says the Russian authorities are increasing the number of public sector employees to satisfy their electorate with guaranteed wages for ineffective work; pp 16-17 (2,400 words).

3. Kirill Rogov article headlined "Clan Scares Its Own Members" says that former Defense Minister Anatoliy Serdyukov's case was a show reprisal rather than a dismissal; p 7 (700 words).

4. Nikita Girin article headlined "March Without Millions of Speeches" looks at the split between opposition leader Sergei Udaltsov and the opposition Coordination Council as the former has announced his own date for a new March of Millions without discussing it with colleagues; p 11 (450 words).

RBK Daily

1. Alexander Litoi interview with Lyudmila Alexeyeva, chairwoman of the Moscow Helsinki Group, about her plans after the tough law on NGOs comes into effect, and the future of the Russian opposition; pp 1, 5 (1,200 words).

2. Yulia Yakovleva article headlined "To Match Strength With Lists" says that, according to pundits, passing a symmetric document would be the most adequate reply to the Magnitsky list adopted by the U.S. Congress; p 2 (500 words).

Moskovskiye Novosti

1. Svetlana Babayeva interview with Igor Bunin, president of the Center for Political Technologies, on President Putin's fight against corruption in top echelons of power; pp B2-B4 (1,800 words).

2. Alexandra Belize article headlined "Dents at Local Level" says that lack of creativity gives birth to strange and ridiculous initiatives in Russian regions; p B6 (1,000 words).

3. Stanislav Belkovsky article headlined "Bloody Repressions and Perestroika 2" compares situation in modern Russia to the times of the Soviet Union collapse and says that a new "perestroika" is currently taking place in Russia; pp B4-B5 (1,200 words).

Noviye Izvestia

1. Yulia Savina article headlined "'Pirates' for Freedom of Speech" says that organizers of rally against censorship in the Internet that took place on Saturday, Nov. 17, will be charged with administrative offence; p 2 (500 words).

2. Nadezhda Krasilova article headlined "Shadow of 'Jew Dummy'" says that during his meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President Putin accused one of the members of the controversial punk rock band Pussy Riot of anti-Semitism; p 2 (600 words).

3. Valentin Boynik and Yulia Zabavina article headlined "Whom Is 'Pillar of Cloud' to Cover?" says that the Israeli-Palestinian armed conflict may spread to other territories; p 2 (500 words).

4. Nadezhda Bulanova article headlined "Closer to Serdyukov" says that pundits believe former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov is likely to be questioned in connection with the investigation of fraud cases within the Defense Ministry; p 5 (450 words).

Nov. 19, 2012/BBC Monitoring/©BBC? 

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